Whenever there is a wedding in the family or when getting ready for a festive day, the very first thing that comes to mind is shopping for Kanjivaram silk.  The next step is picking brands, stores and what to buy.  An opinion from a dear one with a recent purchase experience plays a big role.  Then begins the shop-hopping.

Kanjivaram is expensive.  It’s a piece of art laboriously created by human hands.  Shopping for it involves the whole family and the drape eventually becomes a big part of the festive memory that’s cherished.  It’s not fast fashion that you buy from an app on your mobile.

What is most overlooked or least discussed is how to care for a precious Kanjivaram. Needless to say that Kanjivaram means silk.  A silk saree is delicate and when proper care is exercised it can last a lifetime.  We have seen sarees in every family that were purchased 35-40 years ago and perfectly wearable even to this day.   At MAYA, customers often bring such sarees to re-create it, but that’s a topic for another day.  The very reason why those sarees still are in reasonable shape is because they are washed often!  We have also heard that sarees were once stored by rolling them within a layer of cotton or muslin cloth.

Washed. Yes that’s right.  A quiet discussion with your mother, grandmother or an older aunt will reveal that the washing soap that was used then was a fruit from a tree, Sapindus Mukorossi, commonly known as Indian soap nut or soap berry (called “antuvalada kayi” in kannada. This is not to be confused with Shikakai used on the hair).  Those were the days when traditional wisdom ruled, and dry cleaning was out of question.  Silk washed with soap nut comes out soft, supple and shiny.  What’s surprising is that the shine improves further with washing! 

Soap nut is available even to this day in shops which sell organic produce and, which usually sell pooja and “havan” supplies (“grandhige” shops in kannada).  Handful of these nuts are de-seeded, soaked, boiled and strained to get a soapy syrup, which is diluted for washing silk. 

In this process, fabric is first dipped briefly in soft cold water and then gently agitated in the diluted solution to remove grease and dirt.  twisting or wringing a to be avoided. Hard to remove stains are locally rubbed gently by hand and finally rinsed several times in cold water.  During washing, it’s common to see some colour running.  Most weaving yarn is hand dyed by craftsmen, but the colour fixation is not certain.  So, it is imperative that sarees are washed individually.  It is also crucial that wet sarees are not allowed to soak, when one part of the saree touches the other.  This might result in colour migration, which is permanent…..and can ruin the saree.  The best advice we have heard so far is – “care for silk as if it’s your hair!”. Hair is protein too!

Drying is another important task.  It is advised to remove most of the water by wrapping/rolling the saree in thick towels and then drying in shade in a single layer either by hanging or spreading flat on the ground…. both of which are indeed challenging in bite-sized apartments and smaller houses.

After washing and drying, Iron the silk to remove wrinkles (pure silk and pure zari can handle moderately high heats without any damage) and store them flat… not vertically on a hanger.  An expert with decades of experience in printing and washing silk suggests that washing be done at least twice a year to prevent moth attack (on protein).  He also cautions against the use of “naphthalene” balls in cupboards; alternatively, edible camphor (Pacha Karpoor) can be used to repel moths.

If you have read so far, you are concluding that washing and preserving silks is indeed a task and you would rather seek professional laundry or a dry-cleaning service.  Laundering usually means removing dirt using a detergent and water whereas drycleaning does not employ water but uses an organic solvent – currently Perchloroethylene which dissolves the grime (essentially grease mixed with dirt).  Between these two processes, dry-cleaning is considered safer and detergents can harm silk fibres with reduced strength and shine.

Once you have made an investment in a valuable Kanjivaram silk saree, don’t let it hide away; do take it out of your wardrobe often and flaunt!  After all, that’s the reason you bought them, right?

What’s your take on this?  Take a few minutes to write a comment.